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New Halo Reach Screens....

polycounter lvl 18
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odium polycounter lvl 18
Well, that "graphical jump" didn't last long, its already back to looking like... You know... Such a damn shame, I really though Bungie got the hint, but this game really makes the 360 look bad. Not as bad as ODST mind... The main issue I have is its still got faaaaaar too much colour, but more than that the levels look like Quake 1 levels, built out of blocks with tiny textures stretched over them in really bad ways... They could do with dropping the engine and building a new one. Character models and textures look spot on, they were never really an issue in Halo 3 either, aside from the human faces. Chiefs model/texture was fantastic in the final:

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I'm sorry, I know a few people here are working on it, and I've seen your stuff, its awesome, really is, so I don't get why I can't get into these pics :s

Replies

  • MrMachete
    the ground looks very un-intersting, hardly any alpha grass or scattered objects, just a texture especially in the first pic

    the character models and other props look nice though
  • roosterMAP
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    roosterMAP polycounter lvl 14
    I dont really mind the graphics. Sure, im a little disappointed that its not that much better than Halo 3. but im sure im gonna love playin it.
  • Entity
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    Entity polycounter lvl 18
    Toooo much bloom, it's like someone smeared vaseline on the camera lens..really hurts the eyes :(
  • roosterMAP
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    roosterMAP polycounter lvl 14
    ya. and i see no reflection. the shaders for the metal and concrete look the same. They seem to overuse bloom.
  • roosterMAP
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    roosterMAP polycounter lvl 14
    but the jackals look SICK! all feathered up... i like them that way.
  • odium
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    odium polycounter lvl 18
    Yeah, something about the characters... Spot on. That one shot with the spartan with yellow armor? I just thought "damn, thats some really good artwork and modelling". But then you look in the background and its clear they spent faaaaaaaar too much of the memory budget on making the character heads round rather than making the levels nicer.

    Granted this is all still pre-beta stuff, sure, and anything can change any time. But I have to say this far I'm really let down once again by the worlds... Maybe Bungie just dont have the pipeline for decent level creation? its all so "my first level" full of mistakes, like edge work and decal useage is just none existant...

    Shame, because that along with the stupid over use of post process filters, makes the overall look just feel boring, and thats not good for the awesome character modellers.
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    People, have you ever had that day where you come to work, and realize that someone who shouldn't have had, just released a bunch of unflattering screenshots without anyones go?
  • odium
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    odium polycounter lvl 18
    Marketting wouldn't be marketting if they HAD a clue, lol :p
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    I always cringe when I see someone who is not an artist, go around the game talking screenshots to be used for official marketing material, preferably with as lot as possible happening in that screenshot.
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
  • doc rob
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    doc rob polycounter lvl 19
    eld wrote: »
    People, have you ever had that day where you come to work, and realize that someone who shouldn't have had, just released a bunch of unflattering screenshots without anyones go?

    Yeah, these shots reek of this. Or at least the compression is murdering that last one. I know there's a badass matte painting back there somewhere, I just can't see it through that horrible banding.
  • Disco Stu
    halo = heartless game
  • Snefer
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    Snefer polycounter lvl 16
    These shots were released in a magazine, so they did not accidentally leak out just like that.

    Anyway. Honestly? I think this look like crap. The character models are okay... not very good, and the shaders/lighting doesnt really help... This looks like a budget title, imho.

    Environments looks like something from 2004.
  • JasonLavoie
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    JasonLavoie polycounter lvl 18
    That teaser looked in-game though... like it defiantly looked... reach-able har har

    I don't know... to tell you the truth I'm so sick of Halo, I really want these guys to move on and make something else, you can only work on one franchise for so many years. (I know I know... they have a deal with Microsoft to do this last one I believe...)

    Edit: Not trying to be disrespectful either, I have a lot of respect for Bungie, but I want to see what ELSE these guys can do, spread them creative winggsss of theirs.
  • JFletcher
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    JFletcher polycounter lvl 13
    The guns look really nice, especially in the 6th screenshot, really clean. :)

    The environments do look very dull at the moment, maybe they're some MP maps being blocked out first, and they needed something to show for this mag.

    I dunno, but i hope they get better, and i assume they will. :)
  • JasonLavoie
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    JasonLavoie polycounter lvl 18
    JFletcher wrote: »
    maybe they're some MP maps being blocked out first, and they needed something to show for this mag.

    Semi double post, but I agree with Fletcher on this one, I still have hope that the stuff we saw in the trailer will come to life :P
  • Sandbag
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    Sandbag polycounter lvl 18
    The day I'll quietly accept a thread full of bashing on these kinds of shots while other vastly inferior quality titles get their privates wanked so hard they develop a rash is the day that I'm cold and still, 6 feet underground.

    Are these outdoors Rage quality? No (or at least the extremely limited amount we have seen of it), but they're sure as hell better than Borderlands.

    [REMOVED]

    As an interesting aside, how I can be smashed for having a reasonable critique on any other game while this total troll-fest can go happily along mystifies me.
  • odium
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    odium polycounter lvl 18
    Thanks for the flames for zero reasons.
  • 00Zero
    the characters, guns, and vehicles look really great. i think whats keeping it down is the lighting. and the insane amount of bloom and post processing effects. it also doesnt help that theres like 500 square feet of ground with not even a single blade of grass or a bush on it.

    but the assets themselves look pretty good
  • Fuse
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    Fuse polycounter lvl 18
    Not sure what memory budgets have to do with character "roundness" and what amateur "edge work" mistakes mean .. perhaps someone can explain it to me :)

    First time I encountered voiced complaints about too much colour. I found the bright vibrant palettes on halo characters a defining feature of the art style. I say, MOAR :)

    Game looks great so far guys, cant wait to see more :)
  • Taylor Hood
    I never knew that the good ol' bungie kids were working on the new Gears of War -.-
  • Asmuel
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    Asmuel polycounter lvl 17
    I agree the environments look a bit lackluster in those shots. The ground especially so. But those Jackals look fucking sweet, reminds me of Dark Crystal. I cant wait.
  • JordanW
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    JordanW polycounter lvl 19
    Sandbag wrote: »
    but they're sure as hell better than Borderlands.

    wha? Is that game some sort of crappy environment art bar to you? :\

    Borderlands is awesome :P
  • odium
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    odium polycounter lvl 18
    Fuse wrote: »
    Not sure what memory budgets have to do with character "roundness" and what amateur "edge work" mistakes mean .. perhaps someone can explain it to me :)

    Scene budgets would dictate what can be drawn, so giving X detail to asset 1 means that you leave less room to work with other things, for example map geometry.

    Edge work in level editing can relate to many things, from simple chamfering of box like assets (in this case those terrible, almost Quake 2 engine style brush work blocks), to smart decal placement (i.e. dirt/grime decals on edges to give a nicer falloff to said brush work).

    These things are basic stuff we did years ago that no Halo game to date has shown... Even these shots. Any current gen mapper or indeed modeller can tell you why normal mapping can only fake so much detail, but when you dont even normal map the edge of say a square brush and it just ends... Well its ugly. You can give or take a few, but it seems every surface is this way in Halo games. Its even more obvious when the maps have hardly any loving compared to the model assets... I dunno why but I can never shake the feeling that the modellers and model texture guys are a LOT more talented than the world texture guys, everything always comes off bland...?
  • ae.
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    ae. polycounter lvl 12
    Environments need some more loving and the lighting really needs to be looked at but the assets like the characters and weapons looks ace keep it up guys!

    If you need some help on those environments hit me up :P
  • Fuse
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    Fuse polycounter lvl 18
    odium wrote: »
    Scene budgets would dictate what can be drawn, so giving X detail to asset 1 means that you leave less room to work with other things, for example map geometry.

    Edge work in level editing can relate to many things, from simple chamfering of box like assets (in this case those terrible, almost Quake 2 engine style brush work blocks), to smart decal placement (i.e. dirt/grime decals on edges to give a nicer falloff to said brush work).

    These things are basic stuff we did years ago that no Halo game to date has shown... Even these shots. Any current gen mapper or indeed modeller can tell you why normal mapping can only fake so much detail, but when you dont even normal map the edge of say a square brush and it just ends... Well its ugly. You can give or take a few, but it seems every surface is this way in Halo games. Its even more obvious when the maps have hardly any loving compared to the model assets... I dunno why but I can never shake the feeling that the modellers and model texture guys are a LOT more talented than the world texture guys, everything always comes off bland...?

    what on earth is this guy on about :s
  • LoTekK
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    LoTekK polycounter lvl 17
    The character models and weapons look fantastic. Environments, though, look a bit... spartan.

    Sorry. :p
  • Disco Stu
    Fuse wrote: »
    what on earth is this guy on about :s
    Bevel a simple cube. looks a lot better
  • Taylor Hood
    Crysis + Gears of War + a fraction of Borderlands = Halo Reach??
  • nrek
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    nrek polycounter lvl 14
    roosterMAP wrote: »
    I dont really mind the graphics. Sure, im a little disappointed that its not that much better than Halo 3. but im sure im gonna love playin it.

    When was the last time you played Halo 3? The graphics upgrade is very noticeable, well on the characters at least. When I get a copy of the new Game informer I will scan the pic of a side by side halo 3 character and halo reach one, its like a visual kick in the nuts.
  • ScudzAlmighty
    I've always found the use/amount of colour in the Halo games refreshing compared to most of the console alternitives. The environments might be a little blocky but at least they're consistant with themselves, and besides when do you really have time to look at the ground in Halo outside of a screenshot anyway?
  • Rens
    The stink of bitches is all over this thread, -1
  • pior
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    pior grand marshal polycounter
    I dunno guys, if this runs at a constant 720p 60fps it would be very readable and enjoyable
  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    ^ Halo 3 never came close to 60fps, so I doubt this will. :(

    My personal downpoints:

    > Still too much bloom
    > There had damn well better be antialiasing this time. So far the screenies show it, but so did Halo and ODST. Both of those games ended up looking like jagfest 2000

    The art itself is looking fantastic though, sans the ground geometry itself. As odium pointed out it's a bit stretched and wonky in places. But that's really one of the only art crits I've got on it. It's well above and beyond the level of art in H3/ODST.
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 20
    To me it looks no better or worse than any other Halo game for the 360 (I never was overly impressed with them). That said, I am impressed with Bungie's processes for creating them. Smart people over there.

    No reason to push the bar, really, when the game is likely going to feel & play like other Halo games before it (read: important).

    Oh and Sandbag - Chill out fella. Or at least remove the name of the studio you work for if you're going to act that way, publicly.
  • Zwebbie
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    Zwebbie polycounter lvl 18
    Personally, I think the character design is rather weak. As if space marines weren't boring enough, they're now grey space marines.
  • ScudzAlmighty
    dude space marines have to be grey, otherwise they'd just be marines in space!
  • Thegodzero
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    Thegodzero polycounter lvl 18
    These reek of trash bin pulled screens. Always a great way to start your marketing by showing off the worst looking screens you had from 9 months ago! Might as well have shown the gray box levels basic temp lighting.
  • DarthNater
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    DarthNater polycounter lvl 10
    I don't really see why everyone's complaining about this. Sure, it's not spectacular, but it doesn't look THAT bad. You're all going to buy it anyway so Bungie can do whatever the hell they want.... it's Halo..... You'd buy it if it came out looking like a SNES title....
  • Joseph Silverman
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    Joseph Silverman polycounter lvl 17
    I think halo 3 is an outstandingly beautiful game. The individual assets aren't ALL that perfect, but the color pallette and lighting is amazing in game/in motion. I don't like the direction ODST and this are going, getting rid of their remarkable feature to focus on the less impressive elements.
  • odium
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    odium polycounter lvl 18
    DarthNater wrote: »
    I don't really see why everyone's complaining about this. Sure, it's not spectacular, but it doesn't look THAT bad. You're all going to buy it anyway so Bungie can do whatever the hell they want.... it's Halo..... You'd buy it if it came out looking like a SNES title....

    If you had said this, say, November? Yeah, ok, I could see that...

    Saying it now, after buying MW2 on PC and seeing how much I've been shat on with zero support and no care at all simply because they have my money so who cares... No. not any more. Also I waited until ODST was £25 before buying that, and hell, even at that price it feels like I wasted my money. Such a dull, lifeless and boring game compared to the others.

    Granted the game will sell simply because of the brand. But that doesn't mean its buyers don't have a right to talk about its short comings when, and lets be honest here, thats all we can do anyway, seeing as we only have a couple of poor pics to look at.

    I fully admit its not all about visuals. The best game in the series even now is still Halo:CE.
  • Andreas
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    Andreas polycounter lvl 11
    DKK wrote: »
    I actually really like how halo looks, I admire the use of color.

    Absolutely. Its one of the reasons the guns in Halo rawk and the guns in say...Crysis, suck cock. Give me a varied arsenal over several grey rectangles anyday.
    Entity wrote: »
    Toooo much bloom, it's like someone smeared vaseline on the camera lens..really hurts the eyes :(

    Or Rens smearing Vaseline on the Spartans, take your pic. :P

    I don't this this looks too bad...it's hopefully going to be all about the gameplay, I hope that changes up substancially. Always preferred Halo's indoor (hard-surface) environments anyway. They probably should have tweaked their engine by now, I mean look at the difference between L4D 1 and 2, but whatever...

    love that new truck though.
  • SyedS
    I think I'm the only one that thought the Halo ODST looked great. Sure it didn't push the graphical bar but it was very atmospheric. The game to me, just felt awesome. It might be because I'm more of an artistic type of guy eh whatever
  • ebagg
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    ebagg polycounter lvl 17
    ...looks like the other Halo titles to me.
  • Master_v12
    I know what it looks like...

    I looks like $,$$$,$$$,$$$.$$
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